december and a sneak peek

december is always fun because this is the time to share a short Christmas story or poem with the group. so everybody bring one! we will be meeting december 8th at 8pm my house. there will be holiday food. it's the season for yummy stuff. brenda said something about wassail....

january we will be reading "waiting for mourning" by karen kingsbury, picked by laura. i can't remember what she said it was about. but there you go.

lastly, i am thankful for all you book club goers. we have a great party every time. i love to read and love to share this joy with you. so until then, happy reading.

heaven is so for real

we just got finished with our discussion of the book "heaven is for real" this last thursday. this was picked by leslie who made us all happy by choosing a short read and one that was very good too. we all loved it. what made it more fun for me is friday i went to the temple with my husband and could feel that piece of heaven even closer.

ok so for the points of interest. out of the mouth of babes. it was interesting to look at the boy colton's view. to see how he saw heaven. to see how he pictured Christ with his hands pierced and called them markers. to search and search for a perfect picture of what He looks like and finding it from a girl who also had a heaven experience. to see how he saw his grandpa "pops" as a young man. to have his own little chair by Christ. to see John the baptist. to see God, Jesus's dad. how he described angels and clothing and colors that we can't even imagine right now. to have a view so innocent and pure is a touching thing. he was so matter of fact. one minute playing with toys and the next describing his experience. did you know Jesus loves the Children? That you have to know Christ or you won't be with Him when you die? That Jesus died on the cross so we could go see His dad? that there are swords in heaven? that we will fight a war against satan, but God wins?

i loved how you could pick different pieces out of this book that mean something to you and have it touch you profoundly. for each of us it was a different part of the book. i loved that too.

so this was a great choice. well done leslie. if you have a minute check it out! until then, happy reading.

November and December

For November Leslie picked Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo. It's a short read and an excellent choice. Having already read this, I can't wait to discuss! So we will meet the regular second Thursday of November at 8pm my house.

Then, for December we are picking short stories or poems or something Christmas you would like to share with the nook. I love this one too. It is always fun and sweet to see what everyone comes up with. We are bringing treats to share for this one. And it will be second Thursday at 8pm my house.

Until then, Happy Reading!

with or without you

Last night we discussed the book Not without my Daughter. This book club choice was great because there are so many levels to this story. It is based on actual events in Betty Mahmoody's life and her family, specifically involving her child and Iranian husband. She married Moody who was a doctor, and they have one daughter together and a seemingly normal life. Yet, the extreme ups and downs of Moody put Betty on edge during their entire marriage. He gets in trouble at work and in a nutshell they end up booking flights to go to Iran to be with Moodys family. It is only supposed to be a 2 week trip. She thinks once she gets over there he won't let her and her daughter Mahtob come back. She has doubts about what to do. I had major doubts about this when I read it. The first thing that comes to mind is no. Do not get on that plane. Here is an interesting fact while you contemplate why I say no way to the plane. Once she married this Iranian man, or once married to an Iranian man, you are Iranian regardless of the fact that you may not have ever been there. He now has control over you and your children and if you leave you have no rights to them. Ever. If he dies, his family now controls you... Once she got on that plane and landed. That was it. He was keeping her there and her fear was now a reality. Her next move, was how to get back home with her daughter. Another interesting fact was how many people wanted to help her but not the child. How the Swiss Embassy literally stayed Swiss. How when women got together with just women, they didn't have to wear the head wraps that smelled ick, how when giving birth one could see all that going on-but not the woman's actual head because that would be wrong, how little things like children falling from balconies was an everyday occurrence that occurred to no one to fix, how the hotel wouldn't let her stay without a stamp in her passport, and how the US Embassy guy said to come back in the morning because they weren't open at 2 am the heartless git...Alright, so that was more than one interesting fact. One my favorite quotes from the book was "God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want them answered." How often have we heard that and how true is that. It took courage for her to not give up or give in and with a little more patience it would come. I think there were times when she could have been more agreeable just to help her own self out however, I don't judge because it would be hard to know what to do. She is in a country with no rights as a woman and around others who hate Americans. I'll say it again. Don't get on the plane if you are having bad thoughts about it. I'm just saying. SPOILER: After a year and half she does get out with her daughter. Through a last minute decision Moody has to make she is able to get free. I won't tell how and I won't give more away. You can read or watch the movie for yourself. It is a long hard road for them to get away, but rewarding to be FREE. God bless America for sure.

Another interesting fact, my mom was going to name me America. My daughter's middle name is.

My final interesting fact before I wrap up, Moody made a documentary of his own called Without my Daughter. A his side of the tale that paints an entirely different side to it all. Interesting indeed.

Ok, great choice, good read, well done Rebecca. Until next time, Happy Reading.

adjustments

So we have a few minor adjustments for the month of October. But first, let's start with a recap. We are going to be reading Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody. I am in the thick of it right now and it is a good one. I have read this before, a long long time ago in a state not too far away. It was good then. It is good now. I know others of our little nook equally enjoy this read. Adjustments: BOOK CLUB IS NOT THIS THURSDAY! There are stake meetings that I have to go to so that trumps book club. However, we will be meeting: THURSDAY OCTOBER 20 AT 8PM MY HOUSE. Now that I have that all out of the way, have a great day and until then, Happy Reading!!

october

for october we are going to be reading the book "not without my daughter" by betty mahmoody. rebecca picked this one and i am excited for it. i read it a few years back and it is awesome! it is also a movie with sally field if you are a movie watcher instead. also a good movie. so there is the update. it will be second thursday in october at the usual 8pm my house. until then happy reading!!

speech

thursday night we got together to discuss king's speech. finally. so before i forget everything that went on, i am going to post. i made a few notes on the back of a recite just so i would remember. so i enjoyed this book. that is something i didn't have to write down. it was just plain good. informative. interesting. overall it was well received. i think the message was inspiring-to overcome a hard obstacle in life is amazing. king george had many childhood illnesses, he was left handed-forced to write and use his right hand, and suffered academically. all this contributed to his stuttering speech. he went for years to find a cure and was finished until he was referred to mr. logue. a few points brought out...how hard would it be for the people/your country to trust you if they couldn't understand you or thought you might be a special needs kind of person. how could you then run a country? it was a major pressure put on him and he understood his failure which added to his weakened self esteem. being under the constant eye of the public would be difficult. every speech, every day life, everything you say, being looked upon would be hard to take especially if there is a speech problem. we all liked how the king and lionel were good friends even to the end of their lives. i think that was a special bond for both of them. brenda's favorite quote was after a speech the king had just made..."Afterwards, Logue shook hands with the king and after congratulating him, asked why that particular letter had proved such a problem. I did it on purpose the king replied with a grin. on purpose? asked logue, incredulous. yes. if i don't make a mistake, people might not know it was me..." a couple of other things brought up is how is expressing yourself important? how is being able to express yourself important? and what if you can't.-then what do you do? what measures do you take?

we thought he was the right king for the right time. he took his country through war and hard times and he was definitely the right person for that. he had experience where his brother who had given up the thrown did not and was not good for the country. i like knowing that king george was the right person for that. that it was meant to be. president bush was also brought up in that was he the right person at the time for our current war and situation? i will let you decide...pretty much this was a great read. not just because i picked...it was a good and thought provoking evening. until then-read some more!!

perhaps

Perhaps I should let you know that book club will be this month~just not tomorrow. We are having book club on September 15th at my house at 8pm. Still reading King's Speech. And since it's been moved a week there is more likely to be snacks. Until then, happy reading!

skipping

We are skipping August book club, but we will be back for September. The usual second Thursday, my house. September's book is The King's Speech. You may watch or read. I leave those decisions to you. Until then, Happiest of Reading!!

eventually

Eventually I get to things like posting blogs that should have happened weeks ago. Ok last time I left, I mentioned the giant book Decision Points. It's still giant. No I haven't finished. Yes, I renewed it at the library where I plan on returning it. Probably unfinished. However, I will plug that what I read was good. On to the actual discussion part of our book nook meeting.

We had a nice discussion about former President George Bush. He was not everyone's favorite, but a few key points made. He had good faith which was appreciated. A quote from the book. "If you haven't doubted, you probably haven't thought very hard about what you believe. Faith is a walk a journey toward better understanding."

Also brought up was 9/11. Where we were at, what we were doing. For the President, you go into the presidency with certain expectations. When that happened GWB states that his whole focus changed. "Sept 11 redefined sacrifice. It redefined duty. And it redefined my job."

And then a chapter about the nations policy towards AIDS in Africa was briefly dicsussed too. There was/is a lot going on in the world that we don't see the behind the scenes of. People who tirelessly work to make nations come together for the good of all. The President has the choice to help or not in basic terms. In this case, he chose to help. Bono had met with the President about the AIDS epidemic and brought an Irish Bible for him. "Do you know that 2,oo3 verses of Scripture pertain directly to the world's poor?" he asked. "People are quick to point out the obvious sins like marital infidelity," he continued. "But sometimes we ignore the most serious ones. The only place the Bible speaks directly of judgment is in Matthew 25: 'Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

We didn't get through the whole book. Mostly because none of finished. But I thought to bring out the parts we did talk about. The rest of the night was movies, food, and such! Good choice, good read. Until then, happy reading.

frantic

so i am frantically trying to keep up with this book. it's big in case you haven't noticed. lots of words. long chapters. not enough pictures inbetween. at least i know how it ends...however, what i have read is good and i do hope to be mostly finished by thursday. so hang in there all you readers who try this one out. it is good and witty, unless of course~ you've already fallen asleep from boredom. until then, happiest of reading!

coming up

Coming up in July the regular second Thursday is Brenda's choice; Decision Points by George Bush.

Also coming up, we are skipping bookclub in the month of August. This is the only month that we generally skip due to start of school maddness and such.

Then, coming up, I, myself, have chosen; The King's Speech for discussion in September. I have both read the book and watched the movie. The book does not swear and I watched the movie on Brenda's clearplay. I will let you know later which I preferred.

So that is a pretty good list of updates and books that will be coming up. Have an awesome day and until thenish, Happy Happy Reading to YOU!

esperanza

Esperanza. Isn't that such a beautiful name. It means hope. And that is the background of the story we just read. Esperanza Rising is a true story about a young girl who is very wealthy living in Mexico. She is an only child and has servants and lives a wonderful life. Each year on her birthday she gets a new porcelin doll. Her life is easy. Then, the day before her 13th birthday, her father is killed. And soon her mother and her are forced to make a life changing decision. They end fleeing with another family to California to become field workers. This is now her life. Wealthy to poverty literally overnight. That is the basics of the story. Now for the discussion part. We had a great night with lots going on. Points that were made: How difficult it would be to go from one lifestyle to another. The strength it takes to carry on even when things around you are so hard. Will Power. Learning new things, like when Esperanza has to learn how to sweep, and take care of babies. Going to a new country~a new life. How parents want the best things for you. How Esperanza means hope, and who doesn't need some hope. We liked Esperanza and how she did what was necessary even though it was hard. We liked her mom that showed her the way. We liked Isabel who at 8 knew everything going on. We liked Miguel for getting Abuelita. We liked Abuelita and her zig zag blanket. I can't say enough good about this book. Great choice, Great read.

A couple of good lines:

"Oh, Esperanza, they are too young for raw plums! Everyonee knows that plums must be cooked for babies," said Isabel. "Well, I am not everyone!" yelled Esperanza. "I didn't mean to yell. It was a long day. I gave them some rice water and they seem to be fine now." Isabel said, "That was exactly the right thing to do!"

and

"Do not ever be afraid to start over."

It's official I loved it. Now, until next time, Happy Reading!!

done!

done.

finished.

complete.

end.

over.

acheived.

done.

I have finished reading esperanza rising. i sat down yesterday for a couple of hours and couldn't put it down. i don't know what exactly took me so long to get into it in the first place...well, not intirely true~ sometimes reading the ending first doesn't do me any favors. anyhow, this is a fast read, it is a lovely story and i can't wait to discuss it tomorrow. until then, happy reading!!

that time again

it is officially that time of the month to meet again! this thursday at my house we will be discussing esperanza rising. if you need a copy of the book, you can let me know. it looks to be a pretty fast read. i admit to being a slight slacker and have read about 6 books in between last book club and this book club, but not june's book yet. though, i started it....so this thursday, 8pm, my house! i think i will have summery food snacks that evening in case you care. until then, happy reading!

june bug

june is such a happy month, maybe because it's my birthday month! hmmm. onto real things here...

our next book has been chosen by emily! we are going to read esperanza rising by pam munoz ryan. if that isn't a mouthful! we will be meeting at my house on june 9th which is the second thursday of the month at 8pm. so check it out! happy reading!

silent no more

Our voices were heard loudly across the living room! We could not hold our silence any longer! The book discussion last night was great. Good conversation and good choice of read. Andrea popped in, she has been on hiatus since having triplets. Yes i said triplets. And we welcomed a newcomer last night, Becca! Very fun indeed. So our Marie chose the book The Silence of God, that is why I am writing all this nonsense about being silent. The book tells about the first LDS family in Russia in the early 1900's when there wasn't anyone else as members of the church there. I'll let you google how that came about. A few points that came out: how does one stay strong in the church when it is just your family? How do you continue to keep the faith? Especially when no one is around to watch or check up or follow through with an interview? How do you teach your family to be strong, even when persecution and bad things happen to you and again you are the only members there? How do you instill those strong values? I think it isn't easy, but as an example, you set those standards and live them and teach them and show your family what you can be even during hard times. Even when it is you that stands alone and stands out from the crowd. Build those foundations early. This family was such a unique family that went through so many hardships and trials. They were a good example of strength, faith, and testimony. Also, I liked the enormous amount of history that you learn from this book. At the end of each chapter, there was a paragraph or so that explained what was going on at the time. I like this read and it was well received. Very inspirational and informative. Marie also shared with us an Ensign article from 1981. I was 5 in the rare case that you wanted to know. On that happy thought, have a great day and until next time....Happy Reading!

april fools

i sit here waiting for our bookclub book choice to come in my tiny little key holed mailbox of a thing...it still is not here...i ordered it what feels like ages ago, but is more like a week. going through slight withdrawls for something worth it to read. and marie's choice of the silence of god is definitely worth my reading skills. there is some actual news to this post. we are skipping out on april's bookclub meeting. it is so everyone can get their hands on the book to read it and to get us back on our usual schedule of monthly meeting times. so if you are paying any attention to this, here it is in pink and white. no bookclub for april. yes second thursday bookclub for may. that would be may 12th at 8pm at my house for the discussion of the silence of god. now that that is all cleared up, enjoy your day and happy reading!

april

So for April, Marie has chosen the book called The Silence of God by Gale Sears. It is about the first LDS family in Russia. I have only started it and so far I really like it. I think it will be a great book for our nook.
We did not set a date for April's book nook meeting, so Sunday I will have to take a poll. The regular second Thursday is out because I wont be here to host....
Until we meet again, happy reading!

words

thursday's discussion of these is my words was fantastic! thanks ladies for a great night! and we did have leslie and chloe join us which was fun to add some newbies for the evening. so overall this book was well received. a great choice of read for our nook. a few points made or discussed: the hardships of traveling at that time. we take for granted that we can hop on a plane or in a car or maybe we just know that we love modern convenience, and they didn't have a choice then. it was walking, by actual feet, thousands of miles, wherever you went. pulling and cart, pushing a cart. ya, i really do appreciate modern technology. and in today's life, if you were packing up your house to move to another state or place, you get a uhaul and take it. then, you had to make a choice if books get taken along or food or whatever is most important. not much room in a wagon for frivilous items. it was a hard life. some things in the book didn't seem as though they could all happen to one person, but i think the point was to show that life was hard. a lot of dedicated work to make a life for yourself. has that principle really changed though? moving on, i liked sarah. a strong woman who had amazing trials yet stood firm in those hardships. she represented strength. we didn't like her first husband who was scum. we liked jack but thought he should be around more. he was good but why didn't he stay around more? she was alone a lot and lonely and needed him. we wanted jack because we knew he loved her and she loved him. but, being in the army was his life and he often chose that above her. i wont give all things away, because i don't want to spoil everything.... overall, it was a good read, a good choice. we had a great night!

it might be true

it just might be true that i had a hand in turning a book back to the library on time. marie loaned me her library copy of the silence of god and i had a good two weeks with it. and i remembered to give it back. miracles do happen. the silence of god is also a good book. i confess to not finishing it completely yet, however i intend to since it's good~like i just said...ok so we are on for this thursday at 8 pm at my house. we have a couple of newbies who are going to join us this week. leslie and chloe for sure. (no pressure right?) all are welcome. even if you haven't read the book for this month, or didn't finish it. if you like words, speaking words, reading words, then come. it might also be true that i might include food. yes, it will be better than cheeto puffs for those who were wondering and no, i don't always serve food. ~but since i am hungry right now it's on my mind.... so, these is my words, thursday march 24th at 8pm my house. until then, happy reading!

just in case

the date for bookclub this month is MARCH 24th at my house at 8pm. i don't want anyone confused with the newsletter that gave the wrong date. we are going to be discussing these is my words by nancy e turner, which is an excellent book.
the choice for april is still the silence of god which i am just getting started with.
until then, happy reading!

words indeed

ok so i went to the bookstore to find the book these is my words for bookclub. i know, go to the library right? no, remember~i have issues with late books...!so, the bookstore people kindly told me that they didn't have it and i would have to order it in. so next week the book should be here, however....i pulled out my iphone and ordered the sample of it from one of my apps because i needed something to read. then i got hooked and couldn't put it away and had to order it for real because i was so hooked. and read it i did and yes, i did it in a day. why? because it is an awesome book that i couldn't put down. even. for. a. second. it is so that good. i love this book. i love the character and how she is. amazing. we will have to wait to discuss it some more, but for those that read this blog, this is a good choice. well done laura! until then, happy reading.

next time on the book nook...

...so the next time we see the dartmouth nook we will be reading: these is my words! no that is not a typo it really is called that. it is by nancy e. turner. i think it is based on her family. laura picked it. i have heard it is a good page turner. we will find all that out at our next bookclub meeting. which is, get ready-march 24th at my house at 8pm! there are many of us with conflicts earlier in the month so this seemed to work out best.
also if you are one to read ahead, marie has picked :the silence of god by gale sears. that will be up for discussion in april. no date is set yet, but i bet we will soon get it.
alright~i will stop making you sick. ok everyone, have a great day and until then, happy reading!

sunday peace

the discussion for peace like a river was awesome. we had discussed this book a couple of years ago or something like that and teri chose it for feb. it was good for a refresher! some points brought out were that reuben was supposed to be the witness. he lived his life as that witness to miracles. what was the miracles he witnessed? his father. his father was a very good example and did things no one else could. his faith preceded those miracles. miracles still exist. whether they are great or small to us, they are there. we have to open our eyes and hearts to see them sometimes and that can be our choice. but faith leads to great things, that i do know. ok, so i don't have the book, but swede's question about having or being epic was also good. we each have an epic story to our life regardless of what we do. i liked that discussion. brenda came awfully prepared with mega notes which was fun to see. we had a newcomer cami. she will only be here another month but welcome! ok so thanks everyone for a great night. it was a lot of fun for sure.

still true

so it is still true~bookclub is tomorrow (thursday the 17th) at 8 at my house. we will be discussing peace like a river. i will have snacks this time. so come enjoy the night! happy reading

updates

there are a few updates i should go over just so everyone is aware. bookclub will not be this thursday. some things have come up and it doesn't work. which i guess is good, because most of us had issues with it anyway. it will be next thursday the 17th at my house.
then, the following bookclub for march will be on the 24th. that seems to work best for everyone too.
i know that is a lot of changes but it will all work out! until then, happy reading!

february

for february we are going to be reading peace like a river by leif enger. it will be at 8pm on the 10th at my house. so until then, happy reading!

the good girl

so after reading jacob have i loved, we decided we liked sara louise way better than caroline! i think overall everyone enjoyed this book. easy read, a newbery medal book, what is not to like? apparently there is a lot of controversy over it, but it is up for you to decide why that is. this story is about twin girls, the older one who does not feel loved and the younger who gets too much of everything. it is told from the older twin's perspective. sara louise. she is complicated and endering. hard working and pleasing. has dreams but doesn't go too far from her island home. caroline who sings well gets off the island. has her dreams and others rush to fulfill them, this in turn hurts sl deeply. it takes place ww2 era on the tiny island of rass. i think it was hard to see the parents of these girls not be a little more fair towards sl. they took it for granted that she could just do it all and get by or get alone without too much cottling. whereas with c, they babied and made sure she was ok and didn't have to lift a delicate finger for anything. when sl has friends or something going for her c kindof takes over and moves on in like with call and the captain. i wonder what the story would have been if told from a different character view. i wish sl would have been more vocal about what she wanted and didn't want. i wonder if it is the time period or the bible thumping island she is on, or her own flaws that made her feel like she couldn't branch out. overall, it was a good solid choice to start off our new year.